Peter Capaldi may not have said that he’s leaving Doctor Who yet, but that does not mean that suitors are shying away from stating their interest. Alexander Vlahos, in particular, has some interesting ideas for the role.
The list of actors who have declared their interest in taking on the role of the Doctor seemingly grows each day. We at Doctor Who Watch recently decided that we are going to stop writing an article every time someone simply throws their proverbial hat into the ring. This decision, unfortunately for Kunal Nayyar, came at a time when he stated that he would want to be the first Indian actor to play the iconic Time Lord. We felt that this deserved some attention, so we tied it into another topic.
Back to the general matter, while most of these interested folks tend to simply state that they would want to be the Doctor, a few have vague ideas as to what they would bring to Doctor Who. Even then, this is not exactly newsworthy. And then there is Alexander Vlahos, who has thought the role out in earnest.
Just as Peter Capaldi incorporates nods to former Doctors in his performance, Vlahos would do the same. He intends to honor Tom Baker, only not with his trademark scarf, but by borrowing his fedora, instead. Likewise, Vlahos wants to continue to add a more modern side to the character, suggesting that his Doctor would rollerblade. Those plans would include a halfpipe in the TARDIS, making for some interesting maneuvers should the ship be attacked while travelling through time and space.
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Ideas such as that may be helpful as Doctor Who looks to connect with the newest generation of fans. Having the upcoming incarnations have more youthful interests can help fans to identify with the Doctor. Likewise, having companions share those interests could be one way for them to bond with the Doctor.
It is great to see that Vlahos has such an enthusiasm for the role, but it will take more than that for the show to continue to survive. Fresh ideas, exciting scripts, and well thought out concepts will keep the fans and bring new ones in… more so than the gimmick of a rollerblading Doctor.* If it they can make such a concept work, great. If not, just… no. Hopefully, the upcoming series will deliver content of substance, as one would hope for any series involving a new Doctor.
*Poochie from The Simpsons comes to mind, as does Lenny Wosniak going undercover at a high school on 30 Rock.
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